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This is a four-year version of our BSc (Hons) Medicinal Chemistry course with an integrated foundation year. Specialise in the design, synthesis and characterisation of small molecule drugs. Undertake an invaluable one year placement in industry. Begin an exciting career in chemical synthesis and small-molecule drug design.
Medicinal chemistry covers concepts in the fields of chemistry, pharmacology, chemical synthesis and protein biochemistry. You will study how small molecules are designed, extracted, modified and synthesized to generate therapeutics. You will also explore how these molecules interact with their targets within the cell.
Our teaching methods address different learning styles and provide a diverse learning experience. The course integrates traditional lecture and laboratory-based learning with active, experiential and enquiry-based learning.
You will be taught via laboratory practical work, tutorials, lectures, seminars, group work and e-learning. We also encourage you to develop independent study skills.
This course shares a common first year with BSc (Hons) Biopharmaceutical Science and BSc (Hons) Biochemistry, which allows you to easily change course at the end of the first year should one of these routes appeal to you.
We don’t currently display entry requirements for United States. Please contact the Student Admin team on studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk or 0191 515 3154.
Entry requirements are provided for guidance only and we may offer you an entrance interview which will help us determine your eligibility for your chosen degree. This enables us to consider making you an offer if you're perhaps a mature student who's been out of education for a period of time, or you've gained significant knowledge and skills through employment rather than traditional education.
Eligible entry qualifications:
If you're unsure of whether you think you might be suitable for the course, please contact us.
**If you've studied for a GCSE which has a numerical grade, you'll need to achieve a grade 4 or above. Equivalent alternative qualifications are also accepted, such as Level 2 Key Skills in Communication and Application of Number.
If English isn't your first language, please see our English language requirements.
The annual fee for this course is £9,535 if you're from the UK/Ireland/EU settled/pre-settled.
Undergraduate fees are set according to rules from Government in line with forecast inflation. The fee for your first year of study for 2025/26 will be £9,535. You will pay tuition fees for every year of study. Fees may increase every year based on the Retail Price Index.
If you're a full-time UK/Irish/EU settled/EU pre-settled student, you may be eligible to receive financial support to cover your fees for the full four years. UK and EU settled students may also be eligible to receive a maintenance loan.
Please note, this course isn't available to international students.
Learn more about settled status, pre-settled status, special discounts, visa requirements, and Common Travel Area (CTA) agreements for the Republic of Ireland applicants in our Help and Advice article.
Take a look at the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.
This information was correct at the time of publication.
Medicinal chemists are employed in an increasingly wide range of roles in drug development and pharmaceutical companies. This salary increases based upon postgraduate and industrial experience.
Companies that have employed our graduates include pharmaceutical multinationals such as GSK, Pfizer and AstraZeneca.
The employability of Sunderland graduates reflects our mix of academic rigour and practical skills. To enhance this mix, we encourage you to apply to undertake a one-year placement between your second and final year.
Placements provide an invaluable opportunity to put your learning into practice and understand the context for your new knowledge. As part of the course you will also make several industry visits.
This course gives you the opportunity to develop skills which you can use in a range of employment situations including:
Academic study skills: avoiding plagiarism, time management, reading, note taking, referencing, revision analysis, and scientific writing.
Practical skills: laboratory competency, experimental skills and techniques.
Transferable skills: numeracy, analytical, problem-solving, teamwork, communication, self-management and organisation, application of IT, consideration of ethical and safety requirements, critical thinking, personal development planning and reflection.
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